The Water Tower was built in 1897 by Challenge Wind and Feed mill Company of Batavia, Illinois. This is a rare wooden tank atop a brick tower type of water tower

Water tower

A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system....

. Built on a limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

 foundation, it is 140 feet (42.7 m) tall and about 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter. The brick walls are 2 foot (0.6096 m) thick.

The original tank was replace in the Challenge Company in 1924. The tank is made of horizontal battens of cypress

Cypress

Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is a conifer of northern temperate regions. Most cypress species are trees, while a few are shrubs...

, held in place by metal binder rings.

Awards

• American Water Landmark
  American Water Landmark
  An American Water Landmark is a landmark within the United States or Canada that is a historic location and is associated in some way with water...
  
   - from the American Water Works Association
  American Water Works Association
  American Water Works Association was established as an international non-profit professional organization dedicated to the improvement of water quality and supply. Founded in 1881, it claims a membership of around 56,000 members worldwide as of 2010.AWWA has become the largest organization of...
  
  , 1986
• National Register of Historic Places
  National Register of Historic Places
  The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
  
  , 2003, (Water supply
  Water supply
  Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
  
  infrastructure)